Man in critical condition in SF after being crushed in garbage truck

A man found in a pile of recycling at the Recology processing plant at San Francisco’s Pier 96 remained in critical condition Monday night at San Francisco General Hospital, according to San Francisco Fire Department officials. The man was discovered near the top of a pile of bottles, cans, paper and cardboard at about 6:30 a.m. by an equipment operator preparing to load the recyclables onto a conveyor belt, said Recology spokesman Robert Reed. The truck compacts materials inside, and Jonathan Baxter, a Fire Department spokesman, said the man suffered multiple injuries all over his body consistent with being crushed. Recology officials aren’t certain what happened but said the man was probably inside one of 30 to 40 dumpsters picked up from commercial businesses in the Bayview and Potrero Hill between 4 and 5 a.m. Monday. Because he was found near the top of the recycling pile, Reed said, he was probably dumped into the truck near the end of its run.